Loves books and cats

I normally love Tana French’s novels and the premise of this book was so promising. And it kept me engaged for quite a while, but then it just fell apart. Once the book reaches the part where Mick and Richie start delving into what Pat was doing in the search for the mysterious animal in the attic, the story just lost me. I mean it felt like “Can you just freakin move on – what does this have to do with anything?” Of course now I know what it had to do with the murder, but a little brevity would have been appreciated. I get it, I get it, the search for the mysterious animal was driving Pat crazy. And me, the reader, as well.

I didn’t really buy Mick’s spiral out of control either. Was it because he was so worried about his sister, was so tired he wasn’t able to deal with the case and the stress involved, or is his relationship with his partner undermining his famous self-control? None of it seems a strong enough reason for him to break down the way he did with their suspect. Maybe this whole story is about people acting out of character and the dire consequences of those actions. I don’t know, but I just didn’t love this book. After the half-way point I kept wondering when it would end because I was just tired of it. Not my usual reaction to her books.